Cutting TB deaths and new cases by 95 and 90%, respectively, between 2016 and 2035 is a newly approved WHO strategy to end the global TB epidemic. As well as saving lives, it will also ensure that no family is burdened with catastrophic expenses due to TB, the WHO says.

This year is seen as critical for action to adapt and roll out the strategy in diverse country settings. Achieving success for the strategy will require the TB community around the world to work together to leverage alliances and resources. A report presented to the World Health Assembly stated that links between existing pharmacovigilance mechanisms, for example, will contribute to promoting safer use and management of medicines.

Achievement of the goals by 2035 will require: Integrated patient-centred TB care and prevention; bold policies and supportive systems; and intensified research and innovation. These three strategic pillars are underpinned by four principles:

- Government stewardship and accountability, with monitoring and evaluation.

- Building strong coalition with civil society and communities.

- Protecting and promoting human rights, ethics and equity.

- Adaptation of the strategy and targets at company level, with global collaboration.

The head of the secretariat of WHO’s convention on tobacco control Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva has called for recommitment to further reducing tobacco use. Speaking on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Dr Costa e Silva said that a tobacco-free world is within reach but the fight is far from over: “We must fight to save the 6 million lives lost each year to tobacco. . . . To counter the tobacco lobby’s influence, we must stand together against this insidious industry.”